Oregon man emerges as top CEO candidate for Estes Park Medical Center

Board to hold special meeting Oct. 1 to finalize choice

Brian Herwig, a chief operating officer with a Medford, Ore. hospital, has emerged as the top candidate to fill the role of Chief Executive Officer at Estes Park Medical Center.

Estes Park Medical Center board member Diana Van Der Ploeg made the announcement to the full board at its meeting Monday afternoon. A special board meeting has been scheduled for 3 p.m. Oct. 1 to vote on hiring Herwig.

Van Der Ploeg, who headed up the search team, said that Herwig's name kept coming up as the team sifted through the nearly 200 candidates.

"It was a lot of work but a very pleasant experience," Van Der Ploeg said of the search that started shortly after former CEO Robb Austin resigned in January. Bobbi Swenson has been the medical center's interim CEO while the search took place.

"We narrowed down and narrowed down the list again," Van Der Ploeg said. "In the end, our team felt that there was one person it could really get behind. That was Brian."

Van Der Ploeg said that her team is now doing personal background and financial checks on Herwig.